Initiative inspires New Zealand cellar door businesses

Feedback from the inaugural Cellar Door Initiative held in Marlborough, Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Central Otago last week is hugely positive. Entitled ‘Future-Proofing your Cellar Door’, those who attended learned the latest about adding value to the visitor experience.

Organised and delivered by 3IP – ‘Three Independent Professionals’ – Wine Consultant, Belinda Jackson, Social Media Consultant, Jamie Roy and HR and Recruitment Consultant, Heather Battersby – the workshops encouraged people to look their cellar door business from a more holistic viewpoint. Belinda Jackson explains, “The visitor experience is about so much more than a wine tasting – the goal is to turn each visitor into a life-long customer and brand ambassador”.

Social media was a significant part of the workshops aimed at ensuring wine producers take advantage of every possible opportunity to increase exposure and awareness for the wine brands in the online space. Jamie Roy says, “Those who attended were really excited about the various social media platforms once they developed a clearer understanding of the opportunities”.

Sue Cranswick, Cellar Door Manager at Esk Valley in Hawke’s Bay had this to say, “A very positive and informative workshop leading to great networking opportunities and a way forward to be amongst the best cellar door experiences in the world”. Caroline Millington, Babich Wines Cellar Door Manager declared, “A very informative and enjoyable experience – workshops such as this can only enhance and help us build on what we have,” while Phyll Paton, Proprietor of Martinborough’s Ata Rangi stated, “The three Ata Rangi girls thought the cellar door seminar was fantastic. I’m just sorry that I was away and missed it!”

Further workshops are planned based on attendee feedback.